13 killed in siege of hotel by militants

BAMAKO, Mali — Mali’s special forces early Saturday rescued four people who hid in a hotel for nearly 24 hours after Islamic extremists stormed the building and launched a rare attack far from their northern strongholds that killed 10 people, officials said.

Three attackers were also killed in the fighting.

The four rescued U.N. employees are two South Africans, a Russian and a Ukrainian, said U.N. mission in Mali spokeswoman Radhia Achouri.

“Our contractors survived because at no time was their presence discovered by the terrorists in the hotel,” she said, adding there was little resistance Saturday during the rescue. The four will soon go to Bamako, the capital, she said.

Additional U.N. personnel may still be missing, said a U.N. official not authorized to speak to the press on the matter. Some personnel could not be reached, and some of the attackers left Sevare after the initial attacks Friday morning, the official said.

A 38-year-old South African who died in the attack worked for an aviation company that was assisting the U.N. contingent in Mali, said Nelson Kgwete, spokesman for South Africa’s foreign ministry. Kgwete declined to reveal the identity of the dead South African. Two other South Africans caught up in the attack are safe, he said.

The Russian former hostage is “alive and well,” Viktor Gorelov, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Bamako, told the Interfax news agency. The state news agency Tass said he worked for the Russian airline UTair.

Islamic extremists started the attack Friday at the Hotel Byblos in Sevare, about 375 miles northeast of Bamako.

Mali’s army surrounded the hotel and fighting went into the night Friday. Mali’s special forces were transported to Sevare from Bamako early Saturday and launched an operation to rescue the people inside the hotel. It is unclear how many fighters were involved.

In a statement later Saturday, the U.N. mission in Mali said five of its contractors died, including a Malian driver, a Nepalese, a South African and two Ukrainians. The bodies will be taken to Bamako, it said.

Military spokesman Col. Maiga confirmed that these five — earlier thought to be hotel workers — were among those found dead Friday and after the operation Saturday morning.

The 13 total dead also included five Malian soldiers and three of the attackers, he said.